Speedo

Speedo swimwear was established back in 1928 on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and has since gone on to be one of the most recognisable men's and ladies swimwear brands in the world. Speedo has led the way in competitive water sports apparel for a number of years developing and designing new technologies and techniques to improve comfort and performance. Many of the world’s leading athletes have chosen the Speedo brand. Speedo is an international brand selling a range of fitness swimwear in over 170 countries worldwide.

Speedo was the first manufacturer to launch chlorine-resistant swimwear into the market that helped increas durability of the swimwear. In recent times Speedo have lead the way in state-of-the-art swimwear design producing super-fast suits that have allowed competitors to achieve new athletic heights.

Speedo have developed a number of revolutionary designs in sportswear and recent achievements include Xtra Life Lycra Fabric (last up to 10 times longer than regular swimsuits), Speedry, (water repellent fabric that dries twice as fast as other suits) and HydroTread (lightweight rubber with superior traction for pool decks).

Speedo is one of Australia’s most well known, and popular, swimming equipment brans. Speedo supplies everything from goggles to one-piece togs, men’s briefs to women’s separates and bikinis, gym wear for ladies to togs for children, and even bags, fins and pool equipment – Speedo covers everything to do with the pool that you could need! Speedo is one of the Swimwear Shacks biggest ranges, and we are proud to supply such a high quality, high profile brand to our customers. You can buy Speedo equipment online from the Swimwear Shack, and enjoy our hassle free returns policy, or shop in store at Woolloongabba, Brisbane.

About the Speedo brand

As an established and popular brand, Speedo has a long history in Australia, with a reputation that has spread globally. Speedo originated in 1914 under the brand name ‘Fortitude’, not changing to ‘Speedo’ until 1928. Started by Alexander MacRae in Australia, who had an underwear business, Speedo boomed as a result of the growing beach culture in Australia, which caused MacRae to expand his production company to include swimwear.

With swimming accepted as a sport, the swimwear market boomed in the 1920s. In 1928, MacRae manufactured the classic ‘racerback’ swimsuit which permitted freedom of movement. By 1929, Speedo swimsuits were in production and the newly-named brand was quickly established as a favourite after Arne Borg set a world record in his Speedo swimsuit.

With changing swimsuit fashions throughout the 30s, Speedo’s innovative team thrived with their stylish swimwear pieces which were constantly keeping up with the changes. In 1932, Australian swimmer Claire Dennis took home a gold medal in the 200m backstroke while wearing a Speedo one-piece swimsuit which caused controversy for ‘showing too much shoulder’. With the brand growing in popularity among athletes, the 1936 Berlin Games saw an entire Australian men’s swim team clad in Speedo swimwear.

At the time of WWII, Speedo was dedicating over 90% of its manufacturing capacity supplying vital equipment to the army. Quickly re-establishing itself after the war, even opening a new factory, Speedo once again boomed. This increase in demand was partly due to the stylish innovation of the bikini. However, not everyone embraced this new two-piece swimwear design, with beach inspectors banning bikinis in Australia!

The 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games saw the entire Australian team sponsored with Speedo togs and swimwear, boosting the Speedo brand into international fame after the team took home an astonishing 8 gold medals. Following this, in 1959, Speedo began exporting to the USA, NZ, Japan, Europe and South Africa.

Speedo has always led the way with its innovative designs and, in the 1970s, was the first brand to start producing nylon/elastane swimwear, which is still the most common swimwear fabric today!

The innovations have continued over the past 85 years, with designs such as the FASTSKIN swimsuit and LZR swimsuit, which resulted in continued world record breakers and Olympic gold medalists wearing the Speedo brand proudly.

Over the years, Speedo have increased their range from just swimwear, to include high quality bags, goggles, fins, training equipment and even clothing. Speedo swimwear comes in a range of styles and designs to suit men, ladies, children and toddlers.

Speedo and the Swimwear Shack

The Swimwear Shack is proud for Speedo, with its rich history and untarnished reputation for quality, to be one of its major brands. The Swimwear Shack is full of a range of Speedo equipment and swimwear from goggles and bags, to pool equipment and toys, clothing and fins, for the whole family! Come in and take advantage of our great prices on Speedo’s quality range of swimming gear. You can buy online or visit us in store in Woolloongabba, Brisbane